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Zoe Gentes — Page 2

Topography Could Save Sensitive Saguaros as Climate Changes

By University of Arizona 9/10/2019 The iconic saguaros on Tumamoc Hill served as harbingers in new research which sought to predict how the desert species will fare in the hotter, drier climate of the future and how topography might mitigate the effects of climate change.   Lead author Susana Rodríguez-Buriticá and her team crunched the numbers in a 48-year-long dataset…

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Global trade of tree seeds can introduce harmful pests

By the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research 9/10/2019 The trade of forest tree seeds is, on a global scale, not as safe as previously believed. Researchers from CABI and, among other institutions, the Swiss Federal Institute WSL, revealed that insect pests and fungal pathogens associated with seeds pose a great risk to trees and forest ecosystems worldwide. Non-native…

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Female gorillas detect and avoid sick groups

By CNRS 9/4/2019 Gorillas are social animals, living in groups that females will migrate to join, becoming members of harems. Though some factors motivating these migrations were previously known, a research team affiliated with the CNRS and Université de Rennes 1 has just demonstrated that female gorillas are able to avoid conspecifics liable to transmit yaws, which leads to conspicuous…

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Structural Complexity in Forests Improves Carbon Capture

By University of Connecticut 8/28/2019 Forests in the eastern United States that are structurally complex — meaning the arrangement of vegetation is varied throughout the physical space — sequester more carbon, according to a new study in Ecology, a journal of the Ecological Society of America. The study by researchers at the University of Connecticut, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Purdue University, demonstrates for…

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New Research Details Impact of Energy Development on Deer Habitat Use

By University of Wyoming 8/21/2019 For every acre of mule deer habitat taken by roads, well pads and other oil and gas development infrastructure in Wyoming’s Green River Basin, an average of 4.6 other acres of available forage is lost, according to new research by University of Wyoming scientists. That’s because deer avoid areas close to such human disturbance, even…

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Fishing leads to investigation of environmental changes in waterways

By Pennsylvania State University 8/14/2019 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A fisherman’s curiosity led to identification of the correlation between microbial communities in recreational freshwater locales and seasonal environmental changes, according to a team of researchers from Penn State. Zachary Weagly, a 2018 graduate of Penn State Berks and an avid fisherman, noticed that the quality of the water where he fished changed with…

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Detention basins could catch more than stormwater

By Pennsylvania State University 8/12/2019 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Everywhere you go there are stormwater detention basins built near large construction projects intended to control the flow of rainwater and runoff. Now, those basins might help in controlling nitrogen runoff into rivers and lakes, according to Lauren E. McPhillips, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Penn State. Speaking today (Aug….

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Structurally complex forests better at carbon sequestration

By Virginia Commonwealth University 8/12/2019 Forests in the eastern United States that are structurally complex — meaning the arrangement of vegetation is highly varied — sequester more carbon, according to a new study led by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University. The study demonstrates for the first time that a forest’s structural complexity is a better predictor of carbon sequestration potential than tree species…

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Iconic Joshua trees are facing extinction

By UC Riverside 8/8/2019 They outlived mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. But without dramatic action to reduce climate change, new research shows Joshua trees won’t survive much past this century. UC Riverside scientists wanted to verify earlier studies predicting global warming’s deadly effect on the namesake trees that millions flock to see every year in Joshua Tree National Park. They also…

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Plants defend against insects by inducing ‘leaky gut syndrome’

By Pennsylvania State University 7/22/2019 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Plants may induce “leaky gut syndrome” — permeability of the gut lining — in insects as part of a multipronged strategy for protecting themselves from being eaten, according to researchers at Penn State. By improving our understanding of plant defenses, the findings could contribute to the development of new pest control…

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